The Cost of Denial

(Kaelen's POV)

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, and for a second, I didn’t recognize the guy looking back at me. My eyes were heavy, with dark bags under them, and my hair was a mess. I was dressed for school, yet I didn’t feel like the prince I was supposed to be.

The room around me was everything one could ask for; shiny marble floors, velvet curtains, gold-framed mirrors. But none of th